THE DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND by Jenna Black

Morgan Kingsley Book 5
Publisher: Dell
Date published: March 23rd, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-440-24494-3
Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawnl
Obtained by Publisher


Morgan Kingsley, one of the best exorcists around, has been dealing with being possessed by Lugh, a sexy demon king, who’s on the run from his brother who wants Lugh’s throne. All Morgan wanted was an exorcist job of any kind…what she gets is Shae, the owner of the Seven Deadlies demon club, coming to her for help. Now in addition to dealing with Lugh’s decision to meddle in Morgan’s relationship with Brian, the showdown that has been coming is about to commence. Morgan finds she needs every inch of her power and then some in order to live another day. Can Morgan and all her allies find a way to stop the demon war that is brewing in order to have her own happily ever after?

I really wanted to like this book...really I did. I loved the last four books but something about THE DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND just felt flat to me. The characters were only two dimensional and I had a really hard time enjoying Morgan this go around. Ms. Black delivers the final story for the Morgan Kingsley series and this time, Morgan finally faces Dougal, Lugh’s brother. The writing is smooth and her storyline, though at times fell flat, was intriguing to a degree. Ms. Black has a wonderful series but in this latest book of the series, it all fell apart at times. The characters just didn’t interest me as much as the last few books. I felt like they were there to window dress the Lugh/Dougal showdown which also was unimpressive when the story finally got around to it.

THE DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND could have been a bit better with a tighter storyline and a balance between the whole talk-talk-talk that was going on between all the main characters. After awhile I got tired of all the telling and wanted some action. There were some relationship issues between Lugh, Morgan and Brian but even though it was a promising sub-plot in previous books, it was hard to find much mentioned on this. It felt like the author needed to get this book done and to her publisher as soon as she could to finish the contract.

If you are looking for a darker toned urban fantasy then you might enjoy the Morgan Kingsley series. If Ms. Black decides to go back to this world, I really hope the storyline is better fleshed out and the characters more redeeming then the ones here. THE DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND is a so-so final story in a series that had it’s up and downs to this reader. If you are looking to see how it all ends for Morgan, then you might want to pick this one up for a quick read.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

SPEAK OF THE DEVIL Book 4 in Morgan Kingsley series by Jenna Black

Publisher: Dell
Date published: July 2009
ISBN: 978-0440244936
Paranormal/ Urban Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Obtained by Publisher
Reviewed by Dawn


Morgan Kingsley’s life has gotten exceedingly complicated since she has been hosting illegally the Demon King, Lugh. Being on suspension from an exorcism that went horribly wrong and still no money from her house fire, Morgan is at the end of her rope when she is sued by the father of the victim of said exorcism. Can it get any worse? Alas, Morgan finds out she is the target of a psychotic demon bent on killing her slowly and oh so painfully especially as she starts receiving threats then dead things start showing up in the mail. Can Morgan ever catch a break?

SPEAK OF THE DEVIL is a pure delight and I read it in just a few hours. I love Ms. Blacks Morgan Kingsley series with a passion. I love the dynamics between the characters, especially those that have many issues with each other. Can they work together as Lugh’s inner circle or will they tear each other apart? Poor Morgan has enough to deal with without trying to be a referee as well. Between suspensions, insurance investigations, and now lawsuits from a past exorcism that went wrong, Morgan is tired and really hoping it all goes away. Unfortunately for her, she is about to find her life gets even more crazy as she is set up for murder and the threats she has been receiving has escalated to the point of harming everyone she holds dear. Can she survive long enough to find out who the heck wants her dead before it is too late?

All I have to say is Ms. Black delivers a kick butt heroine who needs a swift kick in the pants some days. Morgan has issues, namely trust issues and when her boyfriend Brian has had enough of those said issues in the midst of all the havoc that is Morgan’s life right now, she finds herself without the one person she has been able to count on all along. Add in a sexy demon king determined to seduce her as well, Morgan has major problems. The way Ms. Black keeps her characters evolving in each book is a delight. Sure Morgan can be a whiny pain in the butt sometimes but she generally has a good heart and the reader sees that she does learn from her mistakes, a little late some days. The demons are my favorite by far. They are a range of nice and naughty to downright nasty. They are so different that it gives SPEAK OF THE DEVIL some wonderful humorous moments that had me chuckling.

SPEAK OF THE DEVIL is the fourth book in this wonderful Urban Fantasy series and I do highly recommend reading the first three books first as each book capitalizes on the last one. Ms. Black is a masterful storyteller that keeps her readers running the gauntlet of emotions even as they teeter on the edge as Morgan and her friends’ race against time, against a psycho demon. Can Morgan survive to live another day? Read SPEAK OF THE DEVIL and get ready for one wild, sexy ride. I look forward to the next Morgan Book and hope I don’t have to wait too long for it.

THIS IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OF THIS BOOK. THIS IS AN OBJECTIVE UNBIASED REVIEW.

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW: Book 2 in The Morgan Kingsley Series by Jenna Black

Publisher Bantnam Dell
Date published August 2008
ISBN 978-0-553-59045-6
Genre Fantasy Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn




Morgan Kingsley has been having one hell of a day. She is one of the best Exorcists in the states yet when she is possessed by the King of all Demons; Morgan just knows her life as she knows it went to hell in a hand basket. Secrets are revealed that shock her to the core, her love life is in the pits and the demon she is protecting makes her body so wet it is unfathomable to her mind. Now a bad ass rogue demon is out to get her and the demon inside her, so what is she to do? Why go after him of course, no matter what secrets and truths come out in the open.

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW is the exciting second book to Ms. Black’s Morgan Kingsley series about an exorcist who hates demons only to find out she is already possessed by one unwillingly. Not to mention he is the King of Demons and now there seems to be political coup going on in the demon world against him. It is all up to Morgan to keep him alive and find out the answers to the ever changing question that plagues her. Add in some unlikely helpers, a ticked off ex-boyfriend who wants to know the truth and family secrets coming to light that has Morgan ready to throw in the towel and head out for a really long vacation.

Ms. Black delivers an explosive continuation to her first book, The Devil Inside and I highly recommend you read this one first before THE DEVIL YOU KNOW as it introduces all the principal characters and the start of the entire storyline. Ms. Black writes with a pace that keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next in Morgan’s world as she races against the clock to find the rogue demon, answer questions from her friends and try to keep this sexy demon king from seducing her. All in a days work in Morgan’s mind except it seems her family is about to explode, her life as she knew it is a lie and she has had it up to here with it all. Morgan is one of the freshest characters this reviewer has read. Kick ass, independent with a bad attitude to match, she gives hell no matter whom she is talking to or kicking some demon butt. The secondary characters keep the flow fast and the story line moving as Morgan interacts easily with them all. The reader gets a sense of the conflicts and emotions that rest inside Morgan as she tries to keep the ones she loves safe from harm while she tries to fight a war that is coming at her from all sides.

If you enjoy a series that has multidimensional characters, fast pace and evolving storyline with lingering questions at the end that has you racing to see when the next one is out, then grab the Morgan Kingsley Series and make sure to hang on tight….the ride is about to get bumpy!